A sad goodbye to a dear friend

Although it’s a part of life, death is one of the hardest things.  We say a sad goodbye to a man who was well known to the music industry as well as within the karaoke circuit.

Domingo “Sonny” Martinez, or “Sonny” as we all knew him, passed away June 15, 2012 at the age of 73, in Mount Vernon, WA.

It came as such a shock. Sonny looked to be in his late 50s or early 60s and in good health. He had recently begun frequenting The Skagit for karaoke.

Ron Spaeth toured the karaoke circuit with Sonny during the week, he had this to say, “Sonny had a lot of things going on in his life, with his music and cars, but I think if you were to ask [Sonny], his family and friends trumped it all.”

Everyone complimented Sonny on his Johnny Cash impersonation. “No, I’m no Johnny Cash”, he’d say, then sing Folsom Prison Blues perfectly.

He had many musical talents, including bass guitar and singing. He was also a classic car lover, Corvettes in particular, and owned two of the nicest, winning awards at car shows, and making lots of friends and acquaintances along the way.

John “Mo” Hargrove had this to say about Sonny, “Sonny was also an awesome musician and frontman. I always enjoyed being on stage with him. RIP buddy!”

Services were held June 21 in Mount Vernon. We say goodbye for now Sonny, but we just know you’re singing up in heaven. Thank you for being a part of our music-filled world, if only for a short while.